SEOUL (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korea’s new president Lee Jae-myung agreed to work toward a swift trade deal in their first phone call since Lee was elected, Lee’s office said on Friday.
“The two presidents resolved to make an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on tariff consultations as soon as possible, that both countries can be satisfied with. To this end, they decided to encourage working-level negotiations to yield tangible results,” Lee’s office said in a statement.
Trump spoke with Lee, invited Lee to a summit in the U.S., and they plan to meet soon, according to a White House official.
The two leaders also swapped stories from the campaign trail, including sharing stories of assassination attempts and political difficulties, and agreed that strong leadership will emerge as they overcome difficulties, Lee’s office said.
Lee survived a knife attack and underwent surgery when he was stabbed in the neck by a man during an event last year.
Trump and Lee also talked of their golf skills and agreed to play golf when possible, Lee’s office said, while Lee mentioned that he was gifted a hat with Trump’s signature on it.
Lee was elected on June 3 after the U.S. ally’s former leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached and ousted. Lee’s term began on Wednesday.
The future of South Korea’s export-oriented economy will hinge on what kind of deal he can strike, with all of his country’s key sectors from chips to autos and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade.
He said on the eve of the elections that “the most pressing matter is trade negotiations with the United States.”
(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Philippa Fletcher)
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